The Semester at Sea Packing List

Dear future Semester at Sea students,

Before I left for SAS, I found these great blogs here and here which helped me craft my packing list. I wanted to add my own thoughts so that you are as prepared as possible!

Nicole's Packing List

Clothing

-       Basic cotton shirts: 10

-       Sleepwear/t-shirts: 4    you will buy a few, but better to have enough to start

-       Long-sleeved lightweight shirt

-       Sundresses: 2   I wish I'd brought more! Maybe 3-4

-       Bottoms: 4 pair shorts, 1 pair capris, 1 fun skirt, 1 long skirt, and 3-4 pair jeans  it will get cold in the countries at night!

-       Athletic: shorts, sports bras, bathing suits, yoga pants    who was I kidding with the whole trying to look nice thing - I should have packed more sweatpants! 2-3 pair yoga pants

-       Warm wear: cardigan, sweater, sweatshirt    I would have killed for a jean or leather jacket - it gets cold at night in-country, but you still want to look decent! Also, the ship is cold. Bring warm casual stuff and warm sleepwear.

-       Rain coat 

-       Formal wear: nice dress   didn't really use, but you really never know...

-       Scarf

-       Belts

-       Undergarments

-       Business appropriate outfit      actually came in handy

-       1 going out outfit (nice top & jeans)  this was crazy. What was I thinking. You need 4-5 going out outfits that you can mix and match. 99.5% of SAS students go out at least once in each port. About a third go out every night in each port. You don't want to miss out on a country's night scene. Bring some options!

Shoes

-       Regular sneakers

-       All-terrain shoes (ex casual hiking shoes)   not necessary, but handy

-       Flip flops

-       Converse or casual shoes for walking

-       1 pair all purpose flats

-       Consider a fun/basic pair of heels

Toiletries

-       Body: Body wash, Deodorant, Lotion

-       Chapstick

-       Hair: Comb & Brush, Shampoo, Conditioner, hairbands

-       Nail care: polish, remover, file, clippers

-       Razors

-       Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss

-       Tissues (1 box + 4 on the go packs)    I am prone to allergies, so you don't necessarily need this!

-       Tweezers

-       sunscreen

-       travel size items

Electronics

-       Laptop & charger

-       phone & charger

-       camera? & charger      I actually survived the whole trip on my iPhone's camera!

-       headphones (x2)

-       portable hard drive     This is actually a must! (or a flash drive). People will put movies and TV shows on a shared drive and it's great to swap shows and store them for yourself.

-       Flash drive

-       European adapter

School

-       One notebook (medium)

-       Writing: highlighters, pens, pencils

-       Scissors

-       Post-its

-       Journal    Keeping a journal is a lot of work, but 100% rewarding

-       Folder

Medicine

-       Prescription: Malaria, diarrhea

-       Allergies: Claritin, benadryl

-       Cold: dayquil, airborne, cough drops      Airborne will save your life!

-       Misc: pepto bismal, tums, seasickness, advil       Pepto will save your life!

-       First aid kit

-       Hand sanitizer

-       Mosquito repellant with DEET

Misc

-       Snacks: snack bars, m&ms, gum     can't go wrong with nutella, but you will also buy snacks in-country

o   Candy for kids: something w individ wrappers that wont melt

-       Beach towel

-       Blanket           having my own blanket was really nice and a personal touch for the bed

-       Bags: drawstring, cross-body purse, small duffle, backpack

-       Anti-wrinkle spray; laundry detergent bar     there's a handy clothes line for hand-washing clothes in the bathroom. 

-       Magnets & photos

-       Ziplock bags

-       Important documents: copies of passport, extra passport photos, copy of credit card, copy of license, immunization records

-       Water bottle (2) and thermos or mug

-       US things to give out     gifts from home are nice to give out to locals!

-       Umbrella

-       Sunglasses

-       Safety pins and bobby pins

-       Laundry bag

-       Foreign currency & USD       US dollars helpful for paying people back on the ship

-       Yellow Fever card

Also, consider packing a small collapsable duffle bag on the way over so that you can bring your extra souvenirs back at the end.

That's it! I had the time of my life on Semester at Sea and hope you do too!

All the best,

Nicole

New York, NY

Dear friends and family,

It's official: I'm back in the United States! On December 8 I returned from the whirlwind journey otherwise known as the Semester at Sea Fall 2014 Voyage.

It's been strange coming back. First off, everyone speaks English. We did not have to fight our cab driver in broken syllables for a fair fare on the way to the airport. Also, they give you free water at restaurants here right as you sit down - a pleasant and welcome surprise. Strangely enough though, no one seems to want to let me pay in euros, or rubles, or real. I guess I'll just have to dig around for some US dollars now that I'm back.

The day after I returned, I sat in my bed at home, the same one I'd sat in before the whole trip even started. I looked around the room and thought - was that all a dream? I saw a bag of souvenirs - things like carved wooden figures, keychains, argan oil, artwork and chocolate, and thought nope, that stuff is real. But did I really ride a camel? Could I have danced the night away with a sixty-year-old Polish man in Gdansk? Would I really have jumped in a pool full of slime and kissed a slimy raw fish on Neptune Day? The memories seem impossible. I have to tell myself that it happened - and that it happened to me.

The Journey is Just Beginning

The last night of the voyage, my friends and I stayed up all night, unable to imagine that this incredible voyage was coming to an end. For the last week, we'd been eagerly anticipating going home and seeing friends and family, but also dreaming of material comforts like consistent wifi and Chipotle. But now... it was real. This was the end.

The final night we were sailing from the Bahamas (for a fuel refill) to Florida, and around 4:30 in the morning you could see the shore of Ft. Lauderdale with all its buildings and lights.
"Ah," I joked, "you can practically taste the freedom and democracy from here."
"That's America," my friends joked back cynically.

I think for a lot of people, the United States had always seemed like the greatest country on earth... until they visited 14 more, and realized that although the world is a big place, we, as people, are mostly the same. There's a spectrum of reactions to seeing different ways of life. Some of my friends have denounced America forever, seeing corruption, inequality, and materialism in place of "home." Others have embraced the privileges we are offered as Americans and respect their birthplace more than ever. I'd say I'm somewhere in the middle. Either way, we left knowing nothing but our home, but returned hungry for more culture, more experiences, more connections.

I thought I'd be ready for two solid weeks of peace, quiet, and a warm bed, but instead I'm fired up. I'm ready to go to India, to see Senegal and Ghana, to visit Greece and Egypt and Australia. You thought my travel blog was coming to a close, but it's just getting started.

Thank you, dear readers, for following the ups and downs of my trip abroad. I don't know if I say it enough, but it was really, truly special to know so many people were reading about my adventures. I had my friends and family with me through thick and thin. I hope you enjoyed the blog as well.


Much Love,

Nicole


***I promised in my first post that I would upload my SAS packing list now that I know what worked and didn't, so I will post that soon.

P.S. I know, you're dying to find out the final results of my official, scientific, global study of fried chicken. Have no fear - America, you are queen of fried foods.

Havana, Cuba

Dear Danielle,

 

Thank you so much for showing me around Havana! I had a wonderful time exploring the city with you. Maybe it's become normal to you, but the opportunity to study abroad in Cuba for a semester is incredible. It's awesome that you got that experience.

 

After leaving Cuba, my Travel Writing class discussed our experience there and we all had a similar sentiment, which I think my professor summed up nicely:

 

"It's a paradise of rum, old cars, culture and history… until it's not."

 

I can't think of a better way to describe the four days there.

 

"It's a paradise…"

 

Cuba is a beautiful place. The water is a clear, perfect blue, and the air is warm and light. Don't expect to see a Toyota or Audi here - cars dating back to the 1960s are the norm, and the electric blues, pinks, and yellows of the old cars brighten every street.

 

There was a great deal of fanfare for our arrival in Cuba. While a limited amount Americans are still able to travel there (about 5,000 a year), here were 600+ students coming at once, bearing messages of goodwill and a desire to know more about their country.

The first day, our entire student body boarded about 20 buses for a procession through the city ending at the University of Havana. The road ascends and curves just before the university, so that when you step out of the bus the white marble building that forms the entrance to the university looms high above. We gathered at the base of the wide steps to the university, and then en masse we processed up the 88 steps to the tune of "Imagine." The music echoed around us while Cuban students hugged and kissed us to welcome us to their university. The air was full of goodwill and hope for a different future.

We gathered in a main square of the university, where there were speeches of unity and celebration. There were performances of traditional dance and song. They put on some upbeat Cuban music as a filler between events, and it turned into an impromptu dance party right in the square, where all of us students danced together without needing to tackle the language barrier – it was just all of us, together, laughing and celebrating.

 

"…Until it's not"

 

Please understand: I had a wonderful time in Cuba, and the people there are so warm and friendly. But there was a clear political message the moment we stepped off the ship – specifically, about the Cuban Five.

I had absolutely no clue who the Cuban Five were before arriving in Cuba. I know this is the moment where I'm supposed to tell you all about them so I can proceed with the story, but I still don't feel I have enough of the details to fully inform you. So if you want to know, here is the Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_Five.

The Cuban Five were everywhere, in part on our behalf. There were posters, billboards, signs everywhere. We had a huge University of Havana v. Semester at Sea basketball game with uniforms, singing of both national anthems, massive crowd engagement, and diplomatic goodwill but right on the court was a huge sign shaming Obama for not returning the Cuban Five to Cuba.

 

We also went to the Children's Theater, a group of children renowned worldwide for theater and music. They put on a special performance just for us on that Saturday. We were charmed, at first, at the young age of the children, their musical talent, and their acting. But we were wrong when we assumed this evening would be a break from political messages. The entire play was about the Cuban Five, glorifying the five and shaming the United States. The entire audience grew increasingly uncomfortable. It rubbed all of us the wrong way, and by the end we weren't sure whether to clap or not. It felt exploitive. These children – as young as three years old – could not possibly understand the political messages they'd been taught to sing. They were innocent children, but they felt like props in something larger, and no matter where you stand on the issue it felt wrong to see children used for political gain.

 

Although I did not personally experience this, it is illegal for anyone in Cuba to talk to an American tourist without a permit. Police would actually question and arrest Cubans trying to talk to students from Semester at Sea. All of the wonderful University of Havana students who talked to us so passionately and who showed us around were specially chosen for that task.

 

I don't think that's the real Cuba, though – or rather, the political pressure we felt is only part of the story.

 

My experience with you, Danielle, was nothing like that. I never felt under some sort of political pressure like I did when I was with large groups of American students – pressure to lift the embargo, return the Cuban Five, or to spread messages of Cuba's success to our American friends and family. It was an authentic experience where I got to see a totally different side of Havana, and a totally different image of Cuba. Some parts were still off-putting, such as how little people make and the things they do to get by, but I am so grateful to have learned so much from you, through your months spent here.

 

I was hesitant to write about the political aspects, because most of the time was filled with meeting and talking to warm, caring local people, dancing rumba, and tasting delicious Cuban food. The food was great – rice and beans, yucca, sweet donut-like pastries, light cream-filled cakes and coconut ice cream, stewed seafoods and savory grilled chicken. There may be issues, but Cuba is a place of wonderful culture, food, and people.

 

Thank you, Danielle, for taking me under your wing. I won't forget my time there. I loved the rumba show by Yoruba Andabo and the opportunity to learn more about Santería through the initiation we attended. That was such a special experience of religion, food, and dance, and I felt lucky to be welcomed into such a unique, authentic moment. Thank you. I can't wait to see you back at WashU!

 

Best,

 

Nicole